To the City of Barrie and Council,

Barrie Transit should adopt the system required to allow riders to pay not only by exact cash, but by debit, credit and Presto. A majority of the GTA and York Regional Transit accept Presto, Debit and Credit, allowing riders a more versatile and convenient way of travelling between cities such as Hamilton, Toronto, Aurora, and even Ottawa. The Barrie Transit system remains old and out dated.

Countless times I have witnessed newcomers to Barrie trying to pay for Barrie Transit with their Presto cards, assuming that Barrie is the same as any other city, only to be shut down by transit drivers. Although Barrie provides a free transfer from the GO Train onto Barrie Transit by showing a Presto card, that individual now has to find a way to find payment should they need to take the bus again elsewhere in the city beyond the 90 minute transfer window. With Barrie being apart of the Barrie Line for the GO train, sending and receiving multiple trains and GO busses throughout the morning and evening, one would think the Presto system would be used like the other municipalities along the Barrie line.

Individuals can order Presto cards online, load and set-up auto reload on the Presto app. Adopting this province-wide system will allow riders to move between municipalities without having to buy separate tickets or learn a new fare-system altogether, which is a constant barrier. Adopting this system would also benefit students, workers, and leisure travellers and provide a better incentive to using the transit system. Ridership will increase because people will feel better connected to other municipalities and appreciate the simplicity of the fare system.

Adopting the Presto Card system into Barrie Transit has other benefits as well. First of all, it would provide better data collection that will allow operations to view more accurate on/off peak times, review and revise routes and because of a shared infrastructure, there will be a reduce in long-term operating costs. A province-wide PRESTO system creates integration, efficiency, fairness, and convenience and I hope that the City of Barrie, Council Members and other individuals in the city feel the same as I do.

Thank you.